Sandton | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gautrain rapid transit station | ||||||||||||||||
 Outside view of Sandton Station | ||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | ||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform (upper level) 1 side platform (lower level) | |||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||
| Depth | 45 m (148 ft) | |||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 8 June 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||
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Sandton is a metro station on the Gautrain rapid transit system in Sandton, Gauteng. It opened to traffic on 8 June 2010 with service to OR Tambo International Airport.
Sandton station is located in the neighbourhood of the same name in northern Johannesburg, specifically near the Sandton City/Nelson Mandela Square developments at the intersection of Rivonia and West Streets. [1]
Developers and the Gauteng government aimed to make Sandton station the centre of one of the first transit-oriented development projects in South Africa. Because of the area's financial importance, with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange being a major focal point, and location near a number of important roads, such development also required an upgrade of the arterial road network in the surrounding area. [2]
The area surrounding Sandton station was divided into six management areas, which cover land use, development density, and pedestrian accessibility. Management Area 1, bounded by Sandton Street, Katherine Street, Rivonia Road, and Fredman Drive, encircles Nelson Mandela Square and the immediate vicinity of the station and is planned to contain buildings of up to 40 storeys with a development density of 110 units per hectare, thus categorising it as high-density and mixed-use. [3] In addition, a series of pedestrian corridors traverse the district, creating a grid to enable more pedestrian-friendly development and to encourage walking and sustainability. Subsequent and more distant management areas have lower height restrictions of ten to fifteen storeys while maintaining the 110 units per hectare density requirement, which centralises development towards a defined central business district. [4]
Architecturally, Sandton is unique amongst Gautrain stations. Although it is not the only underground station, it is the only one with a two-level platform arrangement. The upper level serves trains on the north–south axis of the system, with trains heading southbound to Park Station in central Johannesburg and northbound to Pretoria, while the lower level has only one platform and acts as the terminus for OR Tambo International Airport-bound trains. [5]
Sandton station is the operational hub of the Gautrain system. Along with Marlboro, it is one of only two stations in the entire network to be served by all trains on the Airport and north–south lines. [6] In addition, Sandton also has six additional feeder bus routes bringing passengers from more distant areas to the station. Numbered S1 to S6, the buses travel to/from Wendywood (S2), [7] Rivonia (S3), [8] Randburg (S4), [9] Fourways (S5), [10] and Rosebank (S6), [11] as well as a Sandton CBD loop (S1). [12]
Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa with 4,803,262 people, and is classified as a megacity; it is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. It is the provincial capital and largest city of Gauteng, which is the wealthiest province in South Africa. Johannesburg is the seat of the Constitutional Court, the highest court in South Africa. Most of the major South African companies and banks have their head offices in Johannesburg. The city is located within the mineral-rich Witwatersrand hills, the epicentre of the international-scale mineral, gold and (specifically) diamond trade.
O. R. Tambo International Airport is an international airport serving the twin cities of Johannesburg and the main capital of South Africa, Pretoria. It is situated in Kempton Park, Gauteng. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel for South Africa and since 2020, it is Africa's second busiest airport, with a capacity to handle up to 28 million passengers annually. The airport serves as the hub for South African Airways. The airport handled over 21 million passengers in 2017.
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sandown and Bryanston.
Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort, in the late 1990s. During the transitional period of 1996–2000, Randburg was part of the Northern Metropolitan Local Council (MLC).
Johannesburg is heavily dependent upon freeways for transport around the city due to its location 1,500 metres above sea level, far from the coast or any major bodies of water. There are 10 freeways in the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area: the N1, N3, N12, N14, N17, R21, R24, R59, M1 and M2. In addition, three new freeways are planned: the G5, G9 and G14. Freeways are sometimes called highways or motorways colloquially.
Rosebank is a cosmopolitan commercial and residential suburb to the north of central Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region B of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, and is the location of a Gautrain station.
The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. As in other Commonwealth countries, the term suburb refers to a "neighbourhood", although in South Africa most "suburbs" have legally recognised borders and often separate postal codes. The municipal functions for the area, such as municipal policing and social services, are still managed by the city government.
Kempton Park is a city in the East Rand region of Gauteng province, South Africa. It is part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. It is situated south of Thembisa, one of the largest townships in South Africa, which is also part of Ekurhuleni. South Africa's busiest airport, O. R. Tambo International Airport is located in Kempton Park.
Gautrain is an 80-kilometre (50-mile) higher-speed express commuter rail system in Gauteng, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kempton Park and O. R. Tambo International Airport. It takes 15 minutes to travel from Sandton to O. R. Tambo International Airport on the Gautrain and 35 minutes from Pretoria in Tshwane to Park Station in Johannesburg. The Gautrain has 10 stations. Buses, shuttles and midibus services are available to transport passengers to and from all stations excluding the O. R. Tambo International Airport Station.
Sandown is an affluent suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, in Sandton. It is located in Region E of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Sandown is both a residential and commercial area and is home to the offices of many major national and international corporations as well as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in the area known as Sandton Central. The Gautrain rapid rail system's Sandton Station is located in Sandown, linking Sandton to O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg Central and the Capital City, Pretoria.
The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite services for the city. Zulu is the most spoken home language at 23.4% followed by English at 20.1%.
Marlboro is a metro station on the Gautrain rapid transit system in Marlboro, Gauteng. It opened on 8 June 2010 with service to OR Tambo International Airport.
Rhodesfield is a metro station on the Gautrain rapid transit and Metrorail systems in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, Gauteng, to the east of Johannesburg. It opened on 8 June 2010 with service to Sandton.
Rosebank is a metro station on the Gautrain rapid transit system in Rosebank, Johannesburg, Gauteng. It opened for passenger services on 2 August 2011 as part of the second phase of the Gautrain project.
Midrand is a metro station on the Gautrain rapid transit system in Midrand, Gauteng. It opened on 2 August 2011 as part of the second phase of the Gautrain project.
Metrorail Gauteng is a network of commuter rail services in Gauteng province in South Africa, serving the Johannesburg and Pretoria metro areas. It is operated by Metrorail, a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).
The R564 is a Regional Route in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa. It connects Roodepoort with Buccleuch via Northriding and Fourways.
Johannesburg is a young and sprawling city. As the public transport system is still in its infancy, it is difficult to travel around the city. The city has grown into northern areas, but the main transport system is focused on the southern areas. These transportation systems in the south are in major peril and need of an upgrade. The city of Johannesburg invested a large percentage of its budget in this problem.
Rhodesfield is a suburb central to Kempton Park, in Gauteng province, South Africa, just south of the CBD. It houses the last station on the Gautrain route to OR Tambo International Airport from Sandton. The station is at the corner of Anson and Valencia Streets, north of the nearby R24 highway.
